Enchanted Night
by Empress Moonchild of Fantasia
Summary: Gestures of consoling comfort and a private waltz after a nightmare turn into something much more..... Atreyu/Childlike Empress
1. Sweet Reflections and Stiff Greetings

**Chapter Rating: T**

**Author's Notes: This story is not tied in with my other fic: MoonChild. Similar references may be present but they are not completely related to any ideas i have in my novel-length WIP. For overall mature content [i.e. smut in later chapters :) ] of this fic-i thought it appropriate to have our couple be of legal or near-legal age. [i.e. mature near-adult age] I do hope you all keep an open mind on this as I try to stay true to their movie personalities as possible.**

**Thank you for your support of this ship :).**

**DISCLAIMER: The names, people, places, etc of The NES are all owned by the late Michal Ende & Warrnor Bros. Copyright © 1984. I'm just borrowing them for fun. I do not own anything but the plotline of this fic.**

The sun was setting low on the horizon as Atreyu rode towards the Ivory Tower on his way to yet another visit with the Empress of Fantasia--or as he loved to call her: Moonchild. This had been a pleasant pattern of theirs for the past seven years and this time was no different. Since the time he and the human child Bastian had kept the Nothing from conquering Fantaisa. the land had since then prospered greatly, with new lands and creatures being added every year or so--due largely in part to the vast creativity coming from the many different areas of the human world.

Atreyu smiled to himself, remembering how, as the the days, weeks, and months melted into years, he and Moonchild had not only grown closer emotionally to each other, but they had also grown to become an strikingly attractive couple.

Technically the Empress herself had not aged at all. But due to a wish made by Bastian six years beforehand, Moonchild had since then grown into a unspeakably breathtaking and beautiful young woman. She still possessed the same childlike facial features she always had. But aside from this she had physically matured to where she now possessed the soft, delicately young body of someone sixteen or seventeen years of age.

As for Atreyu--being a year or two older then Moonchild--he too had not changed all that much except for a slight deepness of the voice, broading of the shoulders and a considerable change in height. At just over six feet with his long dark brown hair and slender figure, he had become very handsome indeed.

Since the fateful day they had met so long ago, the two had become rather close Not the brother/sister kind of close but the kind that goes much deeper--the sort of closeness that involves matters of the heart and soul. True, there was no doubt in anyone's mind these two were the very best of friends. There were no secrets between them--having shared just about every emotion one could think of: Joy, tears, anger, sorrow, laughter--everything. Every emotion that is--except for two:

Romantic love and passion.

These two very important emotions, that still filled their own hearts, they kept hidden from each other. Not due to fear or uncertainty. But from unspoken, invisible, and forbidden social boundaries that barred their heart's paths from uniting together to become as one.

. . .

A Guard, one Atreyu had grown to know well over the years, had seen him approaching and signaled to his partner to open the gates leading to the Tower Grounds. After passing though, a stable hand came walking into view and accompanied both rider and horse to the latter's personal stable where Atrax could be fed, watered and generally enjoy himself without worry.

Dismounting his steed, Atreyu gave his childhood friend and pet a grateful pat along with a word of thanks before heading up to the entrance of the Tower itself where Carion, the Empress's Head Adviser, greeted him with a barely suppressed stiff smile and wary look in his eyes.

It was common knowledge among the Tower Staff that Carion had harbored a great dislike for the Plains Warrior ever since he had set foot on the Tower Grounds after being summoned by the Empress to save Fantasia. But due to great respect for his Empress, Carion had managed to keep such thoughts to himself--though his tone of voice and body language gave away his true feelings about the boy-turned-young man.

_The truth was that Carion couldn't stand Atreyu._

Deep down he had highly disapproved with the Empress's choice of having a 'mere commoner' carry forth her request to find a cure for her and to save their world rather then an experienced knight or nobleman. But since she had the final say--despite his protests--he had reluctantly sent word for this "so-called" 'Great Warrior" to come to the Tower.

He was infuriated even more when he actually _saw_ the person the Empress had in mind when he finally arrived on the terrace of the Ivory Tower.

The boy--whom looked to be on the verge of manhood--was not only the EXACT opposite of what Carion would have chosen to send out--he would have preferred someone of royal blood or at the very least someone possessing some sort of nobility--but was undeniably good-looking as well. Reluctantly The Head Adviser carried out his duties as requested by the Empress and passed on the requested offer: to not only find a cure for the Empress's mysterious illness--a daunting task in itself--but to save their world at the same time while all the while hoping and praying the boy would deny the offered quest, turn around and go straight back from where he came from.

His prayers were not answered.

Though Atreyu had accepted his quest bravely--and ended up succeeding in accomplishing his task to the fullest extent. Carion was _quite_ relieved to see the hunter return to his homeland shortly after the healing of their world. In his mind, he assumed it was to be the last time he or the Empress would ever set eyes on the young warrior again.

Unfortunately his assumptions were grossly incorrect.

To his horror, about a year afterward, Moonchild had gotten the insane idea to have Atreyu come to the Tower to visit for no apparent or important reason but to just to spend the time talking to and get to know the Plains Warrior better on a more personal level, to the point where she saw him not as an 'acquaintance' but as an equal or a friend. Just the reminding thought of this alone--of what Atreyu was to the Empress in her eyes--made Carion's stomach churn with uneasiness. What was even _more_ ludicrous then the idea of having this common Purple Buffalo hunter visit Moonchild in the Tower was her request to go _accompany_ Atreyu _unchaperoned _to not only his homeland but to other parts of Fantasia on numerous occasions. To this day Carion STILL had no clue as to how the hell she managed to talk him into _that_ one. Only AFTER his insistence that Falkor the luckdragon be her transport at all times did he give his consent, reluctant as it was. to her request. From the expression on Atreyu's face every time they returned from one of these many trips, Carion could see the young man thoroughly enjoyed showing Moonchild the world she 'ruled' over but rarely got to explore let alone see with her own eyes.

Now, once again, Carion did his best to be hospitable as his least favorite person in Fantasia stood before him as he had done countless upon countless times in the past few years.

"Good evening Atreyu. I see you have arrived here without any complications."

Atreyu smiled, giving a polite nod of acknowledgment, refusing to let the Head Adviser intimidate him. "Yes, I have Sir."

Carion turned on his heel and began to walk briskly ahead of Atreyu. "Your room on the seventh floor has been prepared and ready for you as usual."

Atreyu almost had to jog to keep up with Moonchild's Head Adviser as he followed him up series of winding staircases and along lavish hallways. "Thank you. It is most appreciated."

Carion forced himself to maintain a courteous tone of voice though he was _dying_ to turn on 'this person who was not worthy of the Empress'--as he liked to call Atreyu in his mind--seize him by the back of his buffalo-made belt, drag him to the main gates of the Grounds, toss him out on his ass and send both him and that damned horse of his packing back to where they belonged. Instead he heaved out a sigh. pretending he was getting slightly winded from moving so swiftly up so many stairs and along so many halls.

"My dear boy, your words are most kindly indeed. It is a a pleasure to know you are a dear, loyal companion to our Empress." This statement, he told himself, was of course, a total lie. But Carion had been Head Adviser long enough to know when and how to use the appropriate words to say to those who came to visit the Empress even if he didn't approve of the social status of some of the visiting guests--like the one he was making conversation with at the moment. "Ah, here we are."

They had arrived at a pair of double doors near the end of the hall--directly next to the Empress's own bedchambers, which thoroughly pissed Carion off. He had been furious the first time Moonchild had shown him where she planned to have Atreyu reside during his visits. In his mind it was not only against proper royal etiquette but scandalous as well. Hr had given her a huge lecture on the subject right then and there. She, of course, had put her little foot down, irritably pointing out the fact that Atreyu was 'not just any commoner' but the sole person who helped save them all, as she had done _so_ many times in the years since the Nothing, and he should receive the same treatment as their Savior: Bastian. That shut Carion up. For he did not disagree with her about all the perils Atreyu had gone though to bring Bastian to them. He just wished she would have chosen a person more worthy of her company.

Now he stood aside to let Atreyu enter.

"You should have just enough time to freshen up before dinner."

"Is the ball still going to be held afterwords?"

"Yes. The Empress has taken the liberty of having the appropriate garments made for you. You will find everything you need atop the dresser. Dinner, as always, is at six. If you need anything don't hesitate to contact someone. I, or another staff member will be happy to assist you."

This said, Carion gave a slight, curt bow and shut the door in front of him, leaving Atreyu alone.


	2. Preparing For the Night Ahead

**Chapter Rating: T**

**DISCLAIMER: The NES is owned by the late Michal Ende & Warrnor Bros. Copyright © 1984. I'm just borrowing them for fun. I do not own anything but the plotline of this fic.**

For a moment, Atreyu just stood there staring at the closed door.

He had seen beneath the thin mask of ridged courtesy, the hostility Moonchild's Head Adviser still had for him. This came as no surprise. It had been this way for years. Still, even after all this time, after all the hell he had gone through to save Moonchild and their world from being destroyed, Atreyu had thought Carion would let go of his antagonism towards him. But after seven years this still had not happened and he feared perhaps it never would. In a way, it made him frustrated and sad to know Carion refused to judge him based on his actions towards the Empress and his integrity in general. Instead Carion chose to characterize the Plains Warrior based on his status in society. In his eyes, Atreyu was beneath the Head Adviser's station in Fantasian society and therefore should be treated as such.

In other words, as a third-class citizen or 'commoner'.

He turned and made his way further into the small room connected to the bedchamber. He was not going to let Carion spoil his good mood. Not tonight.

A wry smile touched his lips as he paused beside a comfortable overstuffed chair set off to one side of the fireplace, letting his fingers glide softly over the deep tan material, relishing in the way it felt against his skin. It reminded him of newly stretched buffalo hide. Smooth, soft, and yet slightly stiff at the same time. Unfastening the bone clasp at his throat, Atreyu removed his cloak of lightweight buffalo-hide and laid it gently along the top of the chair before leaning against its armrest long enough to untie the boots that ended just above his ankles. Slipping out of the dark-brown, firm butter-soft leather he made his way down the length of the room towards the door of his bedchamber.

Opening this door he paused for a moment, looking around and he broke into a grin. The bedchamber, like the room he had just crossed, was designed in different shades of brown and tan like the inside of his tent back home. The walls of both rooms were covered in a stiff smooth material stretching from floor to ceiling. In this one, the room he slept in, the cloth on the walls had been dyed a rich dark brown while the ones in the previous room were of a lighter shade of the same color. The wall-to-wall carpeting in both rooms were done in a medium-light earthy tan. All the furnishings in the rooms were made of either dark or semi-dark wood carved into an elegance none too showy nor too plain.

Moonchild knew him well. She had wanted to make him feel like he was at home every time he stepped into this bedroom suite. And she was right. He had loved these rooms from the moment she had shown it to him on his very first visit after the Nothing. When he asked her later how she had known what designs and colors to use for the rooms Moonchild had told him that she, with the assistance of her six handmaidens, had gone to the royal library and done research on his culture. There, she had read about what kinds of materials and colors they used for not only the exterior but the interior of their tents. Since she read his people did not need or use much in the way of furniture, she had to use her instincts and guess as to what style to use in terms of furnishings. She had blushed when she said this and told him she hoped he liked her choices. Atreyu had smiled softly as he reassured her he loved them. What she had done for him in terms of how she had taken such great care to bring a bit of his culture into his bedroom suite melted his heart and touched his soul in a way no one else had.

Exhaling a deep sigh, making the graceful curve of hair against his forehead flutter, Atreyu made his way across his bedchamber towards the adjoining washroom. What he longed for at the moment was nothing more then a good long soak in a hot bath. Now that his body was no longer subjected to the gentle rocky yet bouncy motion of riding on horseback, his muscles were starting to feel the strain of traveling for hours and hours on end. He had started out just before dawn that morning and, with a brief pause at midday to eat, drink, empty his bladder and stretch his legs, he had--as always--reached his destination in a decent amount of time with an hour or two to spare.

Candles flickered lightly in their holders, making the soft glitter on the deep blue tiles of which the walls were made of, delicately shimmer, giving the washroom a soft glow along with the heavenly sensation of calm tranquility.

Reaching the wide rounded tub made of smooth dark gray stones, Atreyu leaned over and twisted the dark silvery knobs of the tub's faucets full force-- marveling at how ingenious it was of Bastian to wish for indoor plumbing in the Ivory Tower--so that water heavily gushed out and began to cover the bottom of the tub.

As relaxing steam filled the room, he untied the front of his buffalo-made tunic and slid it off his upper body before casually dropping it on a small table nearby then unfastianed the soft wide leather belt, with its small white leather pouch on one side, as well. Tossing this atop his discarded tunic he then slowly undid the leather cords at the waistband of his trousers. Letting the sturdy butter-soft dark brown marital slide smoothly down his legs to pool around his feet, Atreyu stepped out of and away from the last of his clothing before turning off the taps with yet another few graceful twists.

Carefully ascending the two wide steps built into one side of the tub, he stepped into a waist-high cocoon of heated blissfulness. Bracing his hands on either side of him with fingers firmly holding onto the tub's edge, Atreyu let out a soft moan of delight as he let himself be engulfed in hot steamy liquid reaching up to his neck. His eyes closed while another sigh, this time, one of contentment, escaped his lips as he settled himself on the padded seat running all around the edge of the inside of the tub. For a long time he just sat there, head resting back against the smooth stones so flawlessly put together to resemble a natural hot spring somewhere in a secreted forest glade, relishing in the soothing atmosphere of soft candlelight and water as hot as he could stand it as the two elements began soothing away any stiff achiness his body had been experiencing a short while ago.

After a time he drew his outstretched legs close to his body while still keeping his feet firmly on the bottom of the tub. He then let his arms slide from the edges of the tub into the hot water to encircle the area just below his kneecaps. Wriggling his shoulders against the inside of the tub in an effort to rid them of their stiffness Atreyu relished in the sense of how happy he was to be back at the Tower and even more importantly how elated he was to once again be in the presence of Moonchild.

Moonchild.

Just the mere thought or mention of her name alone was enough to send shivers of longing down his spine. She had become so beautiful in these past few years.... It was becoming harder and harder for him to step back and remind himself that she was not just his best friend as well as a childlike woman with whom he had fallen in love with years and years ago, but the Empress of Fantasia. Even with this knowledge in the back of his mind he would not allow his heart to close its door on her just because a bunch of stiff, close-minded unspoken rules of royal etiquette--along with one Head Adviser who seemed to do his damnedest to make sure the Empress lived by these rules despite the fact in recent years she had argued with him over the fact she wanted more control of her personal life and he was reluctant to give such control to her--stated that he, Atreyu, a 'mere commoner', should "just stay in his place in society" and not even _think about let alone attempt _crossing the forbidden boundaries of having a romantic and intimate relationship with the Empress. He and Moonchild had both privately discussed this delicate and troublesome subject from time to time in the past couple of years and both had agreed they were each struggling with the decision on whether to live by what was socialy acceptable and proper in the eyes of royal society or to go ahead and cross 'that forbidden line' of becoming not only best freinds and playmates--which they already were--but lovers as well.

Shaking his head to clear his mind Atreyu released his cupped knees and reached for the bottle of liquid bathing soap residing on a small shelf above the facauts. Opening it with one hand he tipped the bottle forward and poured a bit of the thick turquoise blue soft-soap into his other cupped palm before returning the bottle to its rightful place. Tipping his head to one side he ran this substance along the side of his neck, along his shoulders, down both arms then down the front of his chest. Barely pushing himself away from where he had been relaxing he settled himself on the bottom of the tub for a few moments to rinse off the soapy film he had rubbed onto his skin while inhaling the light rain-scented aroma of this pleasant body-cleansing salve. Standing up he then repeated the same sequence with the rest of his body, washing away the dirt, dust and grim he had accumulated during his twelve hour journey. There was no need to wash his hair for he had attended to this detail the day before.

Feeling well cleansed and refreshed he turned his attention to a small handle attached to the tub's rim just to the left side of the faucet. Turning this handle ever so slightly he activated a hidden panel that slid back to revel a small rounded cover located in the bottom of the tub's floor where a drain was located in which the water he had finished bathing would flow through and down into a series of pipes that filtered and cleansed the water so it could be reused later on. _Another ingenious idea and wish of Bastian's _Atreyu thought as he gingerly stepped out of the tub and down the steps to the medium gray tiles of the washroom floor.

With the coolness of tiles beneath his bare feet he now strolled out of the steamy washroom back into his dim bedchamber over to where another small table, this one residing comfortably in front of a smaller fireplace then the one in the living room. This table contained a soft thick towel which was being kept toasty warm from the cozy fire in the little hearth. Glancing at a small clock on the mantelshelf above the fireplace Atreyu noticed he had about a half an hour left before Carion came to escort him down to dinner. Picking up the heated material from where it lay upon its little round table, he ran it gently and firmly along his body in the same sequence as he had his bathing: first his neck then his shoulders, arms, upper body and then down his legs to his feet. Feeling luxuriously relaxed he neatly lay the towel back where he had found it then turned to face the dresser opposite the hearth where a small pile of neatly folded clothing waited for him.

Upon approaching the dresser he reached out and cautiously touched this set of garments thinking he would find the material either so stiff he would have an uncomfortable and difficult time moving around in them or so thin he'd freeze his ass off in the cool summer air surely to come later that evening. Instead he was pleasantly surprised to discover the clothing he was to wear tonight were made of an animal hide so soft and smooth to the touch it reminded him of crushed velvet and was expertly made to the point it where it was not so thinly woven he would get chills during both the dinner and the ball but was also thick enough to where it would keep him warm without making him feel overheated should a cool nighttime breeze creep up on him unannounced.

Smiling softly he lifted a shirt from the top of the pile and examined it more closely in the firelight. The smooth material was thankfully unadorned with fancy designs and had been dyed a beautiful deep royal blue. Slipping into this dress shirt with ease Atreyu could not wipe the grin spreading across his face. His sweet and thoughtful Moonchild knew him well indeed. He had found to his upmost delight the shirt fit him flawlessly. How she had managed to figure out his measurements to perfection he had no clue--it didn't matter, for she had amazed him yet again with her accuracy. Pausing in buttoning his shirt, he retrieved the trousers that had been underneath the shirt he was now wearing. These were dyed two shades darker then their companion and were a little thicker and courser then the buffalo-made pants he usually wore, but felt pleasantly comfortable nonetheless. Shaking his head softly as to get strands of hair out of his right eye, he effortlessly put them on before walking over to stand once more near the fire. Here, he compleated the fastening of his upper garment in advance of carefully tucking its ends in the waistband of his newly attained dress pants before buttoning those up as well.

Suddenly his hands started to nervously tremble as he returned to the dresser and retrieved a brush from its surface at which time he carefully yet shakly began to disentangle the thick strands of hair. More then once he had to momentarily tighten his hold on the brush's handle as it nearly slipped from his anxious fingers. He couldn't understand why he was so jittery. This wasn't like the first time he'd be preparing to see Moonchild after the Nothing. Now on _that _occasion he_ was a nervous wreck_. So much so he thought he would lose his usually calm disposition to the point where his knees would give way and he'd pass out cold on the carpeted floor of the bedchamber. What was wrong with him? It wasn't like he'd never partaken a meal with the Empress before. Quite the contrary really. They had a great time being completely at ease while enjoying each others company over food--whether it had consisted of a meal or a light snack--many a day. So why should he begin to feel any different now? He was utterly perturbed by this unexpected act of discomposure that had come over him.

A firm rapping of knuckles on wood nearly made him jump out of his skin, the brush finally falling from his hand to the floor with a clatter. Heart thudding in his chest Atreyu dashed from the bedchamber on through the mini-living room to the main door of his suite where he nearly tripped over his bare feet and clumsily ran into the door. Luckily one hand instinctively shot out and caught hold of the door handle while the other flew up to press firmly on the doorframe. Nevertheless he had found himself half-sliding to the ground, his face inches away from being smushed against the smooth cream colored wood. Mortified he quickly straightened up, brushed hair out of his eyes, took a deep breath and calmly opened the door to find Carion on the other side, whose fist was raised as he was prepared to knock upon the door for a second time--this time he had intended it to be a little bit firmer and longer.

Carion stared unruffled at the Plains Warrior for a moment before barely raising an eyebrow in silent question.

Embarrassment washed over Atreyu as he struggled to regain both his equanimity and his breath.

"Sorry about that, I was in the other room getting ready." He gestured under the arm connected to the hand still against the frame of the door towards his bedchamber. "Won't you come in? I should be ready in a few minutes."

Carion said nothing. He just gave a firmly polite nod and followed suit as Atreyu backtracked to the dresser. The latter hastily retrieved the brush from where it had fallen and hurriedly continued to run it through his hair, making sure everything was neat and even on all sides. Subsequently he carefully tied his hair away from his neck and face and loosely secured it with a small, thin piece of dark cloth. Smoothing his bangs down neatly on either side of his forehead with his hands Atreyu let out a slow deep breath and stepped back a few feet so he could observe his reflection in the mirror. He could feel Carion's sturdy fingers smoothing and straightening any minor crookedness in his clothing that had gone unnoticed. Afterwords the Head Adviser silently pointed to a pair of black socks lying on the bed, wordlessly indicating the firm notion he was not going to let the Plains Warrior leave the suite with bare skin revealing the area between the hems of his dress trousers and his shoes.

His mouth set in as firm of a line as the other's Atreyu soundlessly took a seat on the edge of the bed and did as instructed. The socks which were made of a material very similar to the cotton ones Bastian wore in the human world were, like the rest of his newly acquired clothing, felt smooth and wonderfully soft to the touch. He couldn't resist wriggling his toes a bit in a fleeting moment of self-amusement as he stretched the socks to their fullest extent up his calves then lightly tugging the hem of each pantleg over them. Feeling Carion's eyes boring into him, he glanced up to see one corner of the Head Adviser's mouth twitch, indicating his quiet disapproval of the toe-wriggling gesture a moment ago. Atreyu chose to ignore this reaction and instead stood up and stepped into the lightweight black shoes residing on the floor next to his now-clothed feet.

There was a long silence before Carion said stiffly.

"I must say, you look relatively handsome."

"Thank you."

There was an uncomfortable pause between them before Carion spoke again.

"This is your first ball is it not?"

"Yes." Atreyu was too worked up to say much more.

Carion forced his second smile that evening. "I am sure you will do fine." He clasped a sturdy hand on the young man's shoulder. "Are you ready to go downstairs now?"

"I am."

"Let us go then. We do not want to be late."

Temperarely pushing the feeling of disquietness to the back of his mind, Atreyu alternatively concentrated on the joy he always felt whenever he saw Moonchild as he followed Carion through the suite and out the door.

The night had truly begun.


End file.
